owlsbooks Chapter 50: Let's Do It!
Chapter 50: Let's Do It!
After hearing Wu Peng's words, Cao Xing roughly understood why so many people had come down the mountain today. They probably all wanted to take advantage of this incense festival to make a quick buck.
"Alright, but the delivery fee is 100 taels." Cao Xing held up one finger.
Wu Peng curled his lip and scoffed, "A shrewd businessman!"
After agreeing on a time, Wu Peng hurriedly returned to prepare for seclusion, attempting to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage.
Cao Xing slowly walked down the mountain, but when he reached the halfway point, he frowned, but did not stop.
"Brother!" Bixia said softly, "There are people following us."
"Hmm." Cao Xing didn't turn around, but even after he walked down the mountain, the feeling of being constantly watched was still there.
The feeling of being watched was as if it had been firmly locked onto me.
who is it?
Cao Xing immediately thought of Gu Su, but after thinking about it carefully, he felt it was unlikely.
If it were Gu Sulai, whose methods weren't so rudimentary, I probably wouldn't have been able to detect her.
snort!
Since the person who came was not Gu Su, Cao Xing simply pretended not to know and saw what this person was going to do by following him.
After descending the mountain, the hustle and bustle of Wutong City hit me, seemingly even more frenzied than the last time I visited. The streets were packed with vendors, their cries rising and falling, the air thick with the complex aromas of spices, food, and sweat.
Cao Xing strolled down the street, carrying a heavy satchel.
"Wow, there are so many people."
A glance around revealed a bustling street, as lively as during the New Year. Not only were there merchants from Wutong City, but also merchants from many nearby towns who had received the news early on and brought their local specialties to Wutong City to sell.
It's ridiculous, really. I've never seen so many disciples of the Shangfang Temple before. Heaven knows where these people are hiding every day.
The streets are now like fish being fried; people appear every ten steps, and groups every hundred steps.
With others following him, Cao Xing couldn't deal with the spirits immediately, so he decided to first purchase the goods on Wu Peng's list.
Upon arriving at the market, Cao Xing wandered around but couldn't find the so-called Morning Gold Grass.
They couldn't even find black-shelled chicken eggs.
"Sir, are these items sold around here?"
Cao Xing walked to the entrance of the market and saw several elderly people squatting in a corner enjoying the cool air. He went up to them and asked them what was wrong.
The old man was also a kind-hearted person. He glanced at the list in Cao Xing's hand and shook his head, saying, "No, the Chen family has bought up all the Morning Gold Grass they've stockpiled over the past two years. A pound of Morning Gold Grass costs at least fifty taels of silver on the market now."
Another old man standing nearby laughed and said, "Young man, it's not just the Morning Gold Grass; the Chen family has also cleared out all the black-boned eggs this year. Now, only the paulownia flowers are available in the market, but the price has tripled."
"Ever since that young master of the Chen family joined the immortal sect, his behavior has become increasingly domineering. The days ahead will be tough."
"They are simply thugs."
Mentioning the Chen family elders was like opening a floodgate of conversation. In the past, the Chen family was wealthy, but at most they were ruthless and heartless. Now, they are simply unscrupulous.
The price of morning glory suddenly rose this year. Five large pharmacies in the city joined forces to buy a batch of morning glory, not to make money, but to meet the occasional needs of the people for medicine.
As a result, two of the pharmacies were secretly bought by the Chen family. When the five pharmacies joined forces to secure the order, the Chen family suddenly withdrew their investment, causing the other three pharmacies to be unable to raise the funds and instantly face default.
Of the last three pharmacies, two went out of business, and the other was bought by the Chen family at a low price, so all the orders naturally fell into the hands of the Chen family.
This single deal not only secured all the orders for Morning Gold Grass, but also allowed them to acquire five pharmacies in Wutong City, thus establishing a monopoly.
They eat the meat themselves, leaving not a drop of soup for others, and even smash their bowls in the process.
Listening to the complaints of these elderly people.
Cao Xing, on the contrary, was quite calm. He was already used to such monopolistic methods in his previous life.
Those who have money naturally want more money; once they have enough money, they will crave power and try every means to obtain it.
Cao Xing could even imagine what the Chen family would do next, such as spending money to get an official position in Wuji Kingdom, even if it didn't have much real power, as long as they could represent Wutong City.
With official backing, they could set up a chamber of commerce, establish a series of rules, gradually squeeze out other small businesses, swallow up large businesses, and eventually monopolize the entire Wutong City's commerce.
These are all things I had done before my rebirth, things I was used to doing all the time.
Since neither morning glory nor black eggs were available, and only paulownia flowers remained, Cao Xing decided not to buy them.
Because everyone else is buying paulownia flowers, it's destined that paulownia flowers won't fetch a high price at the incense fair.
Given the current inflated prices, even if all the units are sold successfully, the profit will be shockingly low, resulting in a significant loss.
"This junior brother!"
Just as Cao Xing walked out of the market, someone suddenly called out to him, followed by several figures dressed in blue Taoist robes striding towards him.
coming!
Seeing the three people heading straight for him, Cao Xing felt a murderous intent rising in his heart, but his face showed fear and trepidation. The blue Daoist robes worn by the three indicated that they were all beginner disciples in the Foundation Establishment stage.
"Greetings, three senior brothers!"
Cao Xing bowed his head and clasped his hands in a gesture of respect.
"Junior brother, there's no need for such formalities. I noticed you returned empty-handed from the market; perhaps you were looking to buy Morning Gold Grass?"
"Yes!" Cao Xing nodded and whispered, "I just heard that the Chen family has monopolized this herb, and it's no longer available."
After Cao Xing finished speaking, the Taoist on the left leaned forward and whispered, "We have connections, but they don't do individual orders. The amount is too large for the three of us to handle, so we contacted a few fellow disciples. How about we pool our money and take on this order together?"
"This..." Cao Xing lowered his head, his expression conflicted.
"Junior brother!"
Seeing that Cao Xing was still hesitant, the three of them came over and said, "Don't worry, how could we, fellow disciples, possibly be untrustworthy?"
Cao Xing swallowed hard: "I wonder which other senior brothers are besides me."
"Haha, let's go, let's meet up, that should be about time." The three surrounded Cao Xing and led him forward.
Cao Xing was half-escorted away from the market by three Foundation Establishment disciples, and they wandered further and further away from the market.
Seeing that they were almost out of the city, Cao Xing asked in a low voice, "Senior brother, where are we going to meet? It feels like it's going to be a bit far."
Cao Xing's face showed a hint of unease at the right moment. He slowed his pace and scanned the increasingly dense forest around him with a wary look.
However, the three of them simply smiled and said, "Don't worry, junior brother, we're almost there."
As they were talking, a farmhouse appeared at the end of the path.
Cao Xing peered through the gaps in the fence and saw three people standing in the courtyard, one of whom was also a beginner disciple wearing a blue Taoist robe.
Cao Xing wasn't familiar with the other two, but he vaguely remembered them; they were people who had entered the sect in the same period as him.
After a moment's thought, Cao Xing remembered the two men's names: the one on the left was Cheng Jing, and the shorter one on the right was Zhang Qiang.
The two stood there, looking troubled, not daring to move. They waited for Cao Xing to arrive. Their eyes met, and they both looked at Cao Xing with a sense of "I knew it" and "another unlucky guy has arrived," while secretly hoping for his arrival.
Cao Xing glanced at them and thought to himself, "They're quite cautious. One Foundation Establishment expert is watching over two Qi Refining experts, while the other three Foundation Establishment experts go outside to catch people. They're sure to catch them every time; no one can escape."
"This is Senior Brother Li, one of the best among our disciples."
Upon entering the courtyard, the three immediately began introducing themselves to Cao Xing, while discreetly standing at the four corners.
"Hello, Senior Brother Li."
Cao Xing stepped forward, looking shaken, and bowed with his hands clasped.
"No need for formalities. Junior Brother He should have already told you everything, so I won't waste any more time. Just hand over the money."
Li Jing looked up and squinted as he spoke.
Cao Xing lowered his head, seemingly still wanting to try and persuade them; "Senior Brother Li, since you said it's a group effort to raise funds, it can't just be a few of us, can it be after everyone is here...?"
Before Cao Xing could finish speaking, Li Jing impatiently snapped, "Stop talking nonsense! Pay up first, and the others will be treated by Junior Brother He and the others later."
Hearing this, Cao Xing felt relieved.
It seems they have no other accomplices.
"Yes!" Cao Xing quickly lowered his head and cautiously asked, "How much...is it?"
"The more the better, let's start with a thousand taels. How much can you come up with?" Li Jing asked, squinting his eyes.
"Then a thousand..."
"Um!"
Li Jing's eyes suddenly turned to Cao Xing, his true energy flowing, and an oppressive feeling as if mountains were collapsing and the earth was splitting came over him.
Cao Xing's expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly said, "Three thousand, three thousand taels, I'm willing to take out all my silver."
Three thousand taels!
Upon hearing this number, Cheng Jing and Zhang Qiang, who were standing behind, were also shocked, never expecting that Cao Xing was so rich.
Three thousand taels, that's probably a loan.
They were charged a total of 800 taels of silver between them, which was already heartbreaking.
However, seeing Cao Xing take out three thousand taels in one go, the two of them immediately felt much better.
"Very good, junior brother, don't worry. We are not robbers. This money is raised by everyone to start a business. If we make money, you will get a share. The more money you contribute, the more you will get in the end."
Li Jing smiled and said to Cao Xing, his gaze lingering on He Tai, Gao Fan, and Zheng Songtao.
The three of them smiled; this time, they had finally found a fat sheep.
With a bitter expression, Cao Xing walked step by step to Li Jing, reaching one hand into his robes. When his hand was halfway in, Cao Xing looked up, a murderous intent flashing in his eyes, and suddenly thrust his hand out.
Instead of the silver notes Li Jing had expected, he had a gleaming gold ring in his hand.
Suddenly, the emerald on the ring flashed, and a golden sword slammed into Li Jing's face.